Yes No Maybe So: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 12:52PM by Nathaniel R
The Eyes of Tammy Faye was once the title of a popular 2000 documentary and now it's the title of a biopic about the rise and fall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, with the emphasis being on the more sympathetic Tammy (who is no longer with us, having died of cancer in the Aughts). For you youngsters out there they were VERY famous in the 1980s with their scandal and downfall happening in 1989. The movie is directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Hello My Name is Doris) and gives plum roles to Oscar nominees Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain as the famous fallen couple. Will it be great, terrible, a mix of both simultaneously or (most dangerously) blandly mediocre? Will it be up for all the Oscars or none of them? Let's give this the full Yes No Maybe So™ treatment after the jump...
YES
• Opening with Cherry Jones accusatory "what did you do?" instills immediate faith.
• At the very least the costumes, makeup, and production design are going to provide opportunity after opportunity to make this a hugely fun watch.
• The shift in tone from broad comedy to personal drama at the one minute mark, with the music abruptly ending. Tammy's eyes opening (in her most recognizable look) and the "we're not doing anything wrong, though"... "is that a question?" exchange works just superbly well. If a good portion of the movie nimbly or even impactfully jumps this line well, it could well be special.
• "Can we talk about Satan, later Jim?" LOLZ and also 100% relatable if you've ever dealth with an overly dramatic or victim-mentality partner.
• That shot of Andrew Garfield as Jimmy walking out in shame with a team around him -- it looks so instantly and perfectly familiar. Those of you who are old enough to remember this scandal probably had the same reaction.
• Mitchell Travers (Hustlers, Eighth Grade, In the Heights) on costumes ! Will he become a major costume designer? We're hoping so after that Oscar worthy (but ignored) work on Hustlers.
NO
• Okay this shot is so over the top. Banish the canted angle!
• The makeup is fun but has the potential to be very SNL sketch too and it's hard to know from these clips whether or not it will escape this trap. Especially at the end with "This is who I am" it looks like they've reshaped Jessica's perfect face in the cheeks and jaw area. Could be distracting even if she's great. Linda Dowds, who has won three Emmys (True Detective, The Kennedys, Grey Gardens) and Stephanie Ingram, both whom have worked with Jessica Chastain multiple times, are the Makeup and Hair department heads. Hmmm. Maybe this should be in the next section. Justin Raleigh (American Horror Story) and Brian Wade (who worked on Vice) are on the prosthetics.
MAYBE SO
• That clip above is the only reference we get to Jimmy's homosexual scandals. How will the movie handle this? The real life story on this is complicated with Jim denying he had ever had sex with a man (and also being accused of raping a woman) but multiple men claiming they'd had sex with him. In real life Tammy Faye was a strangely fence crossing in the culture wars, popular with the often homophobic factions of society (Evangelical Christians) but also popular with the gays, not just because of her drag queen look but that she was charitable during the AIDS crisis and also refused to denounce homosexuality the way most of her ilk did.
• The conversation about politics with Jerry Falwell. Will the movie recognize Tammy Faye's naivete about the same or actually share it?
• It's a small thing but my favourite beat in Jessica's performance (in this admittedly tiny sample) is the way she sounds like she's on the edge of crying and laughing simultaneously when talking to the AIDS patient. Lovely mix and just right from my vague memories of the televangelist.
• Jessica's voice work sounds very broad especially when playing young Tammy ... but then Tammy Faye was a very broad lady, a full caricature you could easily argue. The trick for Jessica will be playing the caricature and the character simultaneously. It's a tough assignment. If she nails it we could be talking Oscar! Well, even if she doesn't we could be talking Oscar since the Academy worships celebrity playing celebrity performances.
• Speaking of... is this finally Cherry Jones opportunity for some movie awards attention as her mother?
The Eyes of Tammy Faye opens in theaters on September 17th. Are you a Yes, a No, or a Maybe So on this one?
Reader Comments (47)
I, Tonya vibes
This is my most eagerly awaited film of the year, mainly because I was obsessed with the PTL scandal at the time. I'm afraid the trailer was a little bit underwhelming for me. Surprisingly it was Garfield who was the standout for me based on these couple minutes rather than Chastain. I'm not feeling Tammy Faye's presence from Jessica in these clips. This is one of those occasions where it's virtually impossible to go over the top - I'm hoping she catches Tammy's exuberance in the actual film. Can't help but think back to Bernadette Peters playing Tammy in the TV movie FALL FROM GRACE. The film itself wasn't anything special but she was a standout.
I still find it weird and a little troubling that there’s no sign of this movie even planning to mention Jessica Hahn.
Bette Midler old age makeup from For The Boys vibes in that one gif.
I’m a yes. Haven’t totally gelled with Jessica (except for A Most Violent Year) but was very impressed with her in this trailer. She seems inspired! I also feel like this is an exciting departure for her...
This looks great, and even if the film is a stinker, this trailer was magic. Jessica looks great here, and the trailer did a nice job of making Tammy both sympathetic (the hug with the AIDS patient), naive (we're not doing anything wrong), and complicated (the hint at the fights with Jim, Jerry, and dealing with her mother's disappointment).
I really like Jessica Chastain, and especially thought she should have come closer to the Oscar-nom for Miss Sloane and A Most Violent Year. But, I don't think I've wanted to actually see a film of hers in theaters since 2012, and typically I only watch them because of the buzz. Whether this film works or not, this looks like something that will be pretty interesting (and relevant given the current shape of the right in America).
Also, Cherry Jones has a lot of good will. If this is an I, Tanya sized hit and the studio handles it correctly, it's easy to see her nominated and winning like Janney. She's one of those classic TV/stage actors that can sort win on their one, and only nomination. Her recent work in Handmaid's and Succession helps a lot.
I'm all in on Chastain here. Looks like a tour de force.
I've been high on this since it was announced and Jessica needs something at the moment as she has been getting usurped by younger fresher faces as happens when some actresses hit 40.
The most hideous makeup I've seen since Hillbilly Elegy! So unbelievably shallow. Where is that good actress from Tree of Life and Take Shelter?
Intrigued and horrified at the same time.
She can't be dead? Misery Chastain can not be dead!
I'm so happy she's returning to award season with a vengeance. Never agreed with her defeats from the likes of Spencer and Lawrence.
BTW Nathaniel -- I suspect they'll push Garfield supporting because this is of course a female centered movie.
The 2000 documentary is brilliant and worth a watch. I wonder how this will compare to it? You captured Tammy Faye’s voice perfectly (on the edge of crying and laughing at the same time) and so does Chastain.
I remember Kristin Chenoweth being attached to a Tammy Faye project at some point and can’t help but wonder what she would have done with the part. Like Tammy Faye she’s tiny and she can sing.
I am so excited to see this film. I grew up within the confines of the religious and conservative right, my dad was a minister, and men like Jerry Falwell and Billy Graham were occasional visitors. I fell in love with Tammy Faye many years ago as a young, gay child. But, because of her stance on gays and the AIDS crisis, she was unjustly vilified by the more extreme conservatives. I hope this movie can capture that as well as Jessica Chastain really doing justice by Tammy.
I’m a yes. I don’t know much about Tammy’s story but Chastain is always welcome.
Oddly enough, this is probably the older role that ‘miscasted all the time because she’s too young’ Jennifer Lawrence that I think she would’ve done wonders with. (I hated her in ‘Joy.’)
Not really getting the Tammy vibes from Chastian…
Absolutely yes. Oscar noms for Chastain, Garfield, and Jones.
Looks like Hillbilly Elegy meets the Iron Lady. I'm tiring of sympathetic portrayals of awful people carried out in larger works that make Wile E. Coyote shorts look subtle in comparison.
More importantly, WHO is playing Jim J. Bullock, and with Jessica scream hanging upsidedown on a velcro wall???
A big NO and the reason is the whole trailer.
While it looks entertaining, these were two horrible people who did alot of damage in the name of God. And I don't recall Tammy Faye ever being on our side.
I hope it makes fun of them as much as it empathizes with their "ordeal".
Yeah, I want to see this. "These Eyes" sold me as the film is about the hurtin'.
Omg when wlll Hollywood finally realize that an actress does not need to be “transformed” into a replica of a historical figure via prosthetics. Let the actress act and EVOKE the figure. The prosthetics look like prosthetics 9/10 times and end up just being distracting. I am tired of good actresses literally weighed down by this makeup work. This is a really clear example of that based on the trailer.
Hope they go full camp here but not sure that’s what they are going for.
I'm a definite yes just based on these actors and this subject matter, although it's hard to tell just from the trailer if it'll be truly interesting or just a campy bore. There's enough about late-stage America in Tammy's story that it does have a lot of potential to say a lot.
Unfortunately, my guess is that Cherry Jones as the scold mom probably has less awards potential as Allison Janney as the monster mom.
Don't care for Chastain. Very overrated. Love Cherry Jones. Very underrated.
YES to Chastain and Jones, looks like both will nail perfectly what this movie might try to say
NO to Garfield, he feels very miscast and he and Chastain give more "weird cousins" vibe together
YES, that cast!
YES, Michael Showalter as director. Just discovered SEARCH PARTY and I'm obsessed with his writing. On a Showalter binge...
YES, I'm old enough to remember the ridiculous Bakker stories.
The makeup looks awful but the trailer seems interesting and I hope Chastain finally get that very much deserved Oscar, her snub for A Most Violent year and losing to Lawrence still hurts.
Love Jones. Don't care for Garfield.
lol love “weird cousin vibes” - spot on
OMG YES ON ALL COUNTS! Love Chastain and can’t wait to see her chew this role up!
can't get over the face makeup from the trailer - absolute no.
Joe G is right about Cherry Jones. Supporting Actress of late has tended to award ladies who have had somewhat recent TV success, usually winning or at least nominated for their work. (Patricia Arquette, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Regina Kind, Viola Davis even.)
This whole movie will be worth it as long as Jessica Chastain at some point puts up her hands and screams "Demonic raisins, I rebuke you!!"
Ginger Minj did it better
Quite I TONYA vibes going on there. I'm eager to see, and the documentary is very good. I just worry as I do with a lot of people like this that it be so unstylish. Too scared to go camp, too ridiculous to be truly straight. Where will it land and can Showalter shoot it better than a TV movie.
I'm all in! Yes, yes and maybe yes.
I'm going to wait and see what the reviews look like. I'm very optimistic, though, and really liked the trailer. For all of the great work she's done, it's wild that Jessica Chastain only has 2 oscar noms and hasn't been recognized since ZDT. Hoping this comes through for her. as you said, I'd rather this be great or terrible. I just hope it isn't a bland, paint-by-numbers biopic.
I Tonya vibes and that’s not a good thing.
No to Chastain and Garfield . I really don’t like both.
A big Yes to Jones, an excellent actress who deserves more recognition.
I can be turned, but now I'm a no. It looks very campy, and not in a good way.
If it has I, Tonya vibes than I look forward to it.
I'm all in. Jessica is brilliant and should have three more Oscar nods than she has now: for A Most Violent Year, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and Molly's Game.
This looks broad n campy n right up the gays alley!!
Chastain is long due for ano Oscar nom, so if this turns out rite, she might nab one... A win is ano tink
Andrew Garfield I see you trying to join The Inevitables.
"Oddly enough, this is probably the older role that ‘miscasted all the time because she’s too young’ Jennifer Lawrence that I think she would’ve done wonders with. (I hated her in ‘Joy.’)"
I can't imagine Jennifer Lawrence in this role; granted, I think she is a very bad actress in general, and just does not have the technical skill to pull something like this off.
Hoping this is a great success for Chastain, who looks inspired, and that Cherry Jones has the plum film role she deserves.
This looks a mess.
I'm in!
It opens on my birthday, hopefully I'll feel more at ease with the idea of going to a movie theater by then.
This is going to be major Oscar bait